Growing Your Home Library Without Breaking Your Budget

I bet you’re wondering how I grew my home library to over 2,000 outstanding, high-quality books without spending hardly any money. I myself sometimes marvel at how God has provided over the years.

When planning my homeschooling for the upcoming school year, I always start by committing the year to God and asking Him what areas to study. We go through history chronologically, but all the other subjects besides math are delight-directed until high school, depending on what we haven’t studied yet.

Anyone who has done unit studies successfully is able to pull together lots of fun books on one topic. You can do this by going to the library, but I prefer to own the books so that they are always available to me. (I like to preview all the books as well, and only have the very best.) When I write down what topics we will cover for the following school year, the books practically pop out at me wherever I look. Here are my favorite places to find books:

yard sales

second-hand stores

used book stores

used books on Amazon

Craig’s List

library book sales

used curriculum sales

gifts from friends or family

Back when I first got married, I didn’t have the basic Bible study tools like a concordance, Bible dictionary, handbook about Bible times, maps and charts, etc. I asked myself who would feel joy if I studied the Word of God? My parents decided to get me the whole set, which was on sale, for Christmas. Our whole family is closer to God now because we have proper Bible study tools, and the credit goes to my parents. I have no doubt they will be rewarded in heaven. That set of books was not cheap, even at 50% off. What I’m saying is that if people are going to buy your family Christmas presents anyway, make known specific books that you can’t wait to purchase.

After getting the bulk of my books at yard sales and second-hand stores, can you believe that I actually made money off books, and I could buy whatever I wanted—even new books—from my list? I know you’re eagerly waiting on the edge of your seat for my secret, so here it is: I buy hardcover children’s classics and coffee table books at yard sales for fifty cents. Then I turn around with a large stack of almost-free books that look new, and I trade them in to a used book store. My used book store also sells new books, and I often get a trade-in value of $80! I do this in the summer when yard sales are in profusion. I never buy children’s books that are from a book club, because they are worthless. I’ve learned over the years which books have higher trade-in value, and which ones get rejected. But with practically no money, I’ve acquired over 2,000 outstanding, high-quality books for my home library that my family uses profusely in our homeschooling.

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This is a great idea, Susan! Do you sell your books at a local bookstore, or have you found an online store that accepts trade-ins? I know it’s possible to be a reseller through Amazon, though haven’t looked into this (and it wouldn’t give you the instant purchase money).

I trade the books in at a local bookstore. I find the process easier that way. Shipping costs lots of money, plus I like to touch the books I’m buying, if possible. The other thing is that I know exactly how much money I have to spend at the exact time that I’m shopping, so time-wise, it’s a good use of my time. It’s fun because I feel like I’m going on a shopping spree. I always come armed with my reading list, and then I browse for books about different subjects. It’s hard to browse inside the books online.

I just donated a trunk full of books to one of the local places that take books, and I had some really good ones (we have to down size drastically sadly). I wish I would have thought of this then! Do you know of a shop you like better than others in Tacoma WA area?

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